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The summer movie season of 1992 opened under a cloud; a dark cloud from the still-smouldering buildings that had burned to the ground during the La riots in April. Racial tension after the disastrous acquittal of Rodney King’s uniformed attackers had reached an all-time high and Hollywood appealed for calm.

Thus, in a touchingly bold demonstration of selfless generosity, Walter Hill’s unremarkable urban thriller, The Looters, was hastily withdrawn and held back until Christmas, re-christened Trespass (memorably starring two Bills – Paxton and Sadler – and a pair of Ices – T and Cube). Elsewhere, it was business as usual.

The Rodney King affair was briefly alluded to in Lethal Weapon 3, the second-biggest hit of the summer and one of only a handful of ‘sure things’ on the menu. Though there were mutterings about the dominance of sequels in the summer movie season, there were weird things afoot in most of the other returnees. Aside from Lethal Weapon 3 – which was essentially a watered down Lethal Weapon 2 with too much added Joe Pesci – the rest of the sequels veered off into strange tangents, with varying results.

Alien 3, for example strayed dangerously far from the template set down by the first two classics. Bravely, it has to be said, David Fincher tried to create a quasi-religious epic, following Scott’s horror movie and Cameron’s war film. Latterly, Fincher’s frustrations and behind-the-scenes interferences became legendary, but audiences didn’t click with his compromised vision and it became the first in a long line of Alien movies to fall a bit flat.

Another major sequel, Honey, I Blew Up The Baby was in fact the complete opposite of 1989’s Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, culminating in the spectacle of a 99 foot toddler stomping through Las Vegas. It was directed without enthusiasm by Grease director Randal Kleiser, reminding audiences once again why no one remembers who directed Grease.

It wasn’t just sequels that dared to be different. One of the strangest mainstream offerings of the year was Robert Zemeckis’s black comedy, Death Becomes Her, which might have been a delicious satire on America’s vain obsession with cosmetic surgery if only Bruce Willis had stopped shouting at everyone like he was trying to prevent a plane crash.

Back in the ‘90s, much more so than today, comedies were a vital part of the summer success story – an inexpensive sop for the grown-ups while their teenage kids watched things explode in Screen 7. There were high hopes for Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn’s Housesitter, which was only a medium-sized hit, despite the bit where Steve Martin sings ‘Tura Lura Lura’ to his dad, and the other bit when his falls over his couch.

Boomerang was a bigger hit and restored some credibility to Eddie Murphy’s career after the crippling one-two punches of Harlem Nights and Another 48 Hours. It was also responsible for one of the great ironic ‘First Dance At a Wedding’ songs, Boys II Men’s The End of The Road.

As with City Slickers in 1991, comedy provided the biggest sleeper hit of the summer: Sister Act, with Whoopi Goldberg excelling as a murder witness hiding out in a convent. As with City Slickers, an unwise sequel was hastily made and hastily forgotten. The original though, was the sixth biggest film of the year and is still going strong as a west-end show to this day.

It wasn’t just the many and varied comic tastes of adults that were appeased; semi-literate young people were also provided for by Encino Man (or California Man as we knew it, since we don’t know where Encino is. It’s in California). Noted for Brendan Fraser’s first stab at the big time, this grungy caveman caper will be of interest to young contemporary archeologists keen to investigate who or what Pauly Shore was.

Teenagers were also palmed off with a silly-sounding comedy called Buffy The Vampire Slayer, written by first-time screenwriter Joss Whedon. Starring Kristy Swanson as the eponymous heroine, but marketed as a vehicle for Beverly Hills 90210 heart-throb Luke Perry, the producers had hoped for a chunk of the Bill & Ted audience that Encino Man hadn’t swallowed up. Sadly, they had to make do with a long-running spin-off television show regularly cited as one of the greatest ever made. Gnarly.

Crimes against the Emerald Isle weren’t restricted to the gratuitous amounts of Clannad in Patriot Games. Tom Cruise’s Irish accent in Ron Howard’s Far and Away was the benchmark for all bad Irish accents until Brad Pitt graciously took the relay baton in The Devil’s Own. The film, shot in glorious 70mm was the biggest risk of the summer and proved to be the dampest squib, considering the star power of Cruise and (then-wife) Nicole Kidman. Despite looking ravishing, the script had all the depth of a bottle-cap. It desperately wanted to be a timeless classic in the David Lean tradition but held up against Unforgiven, which was released in August, Far & Away was shown up as the glorified Cbbc TV special it was.

Unforgiven came out of nowhere. Clint Eastwood’s previous movie, The Rookie, was somehow even worse than 1989’s Pink Cadillac. However, he’d been sitting on David Webb Peoples’ script for years until he was finally old enough to play William Munny. An extraordinary, mature and masterful critique of Western mythology, Unforgiven was hailed as Eastwood’s best work from the get-go, took the summer’s number five spot and would later win a handful of Oscars, including Pest Picture.

So who was the box office champion of Summer ’92? Well, that question was never in any doubt. Tim Burton’s Batman was the cultural phenomenon of 1989, redefining the parameters of box office limitations and merchandise licensing in a way not seen since Star Wars. Speculation as to who Batman would fight next and who would play him/her began immediately. Dustin Hoffman was touted to play The Penguin and Annette Bening was actually cast as Catwoman, before pregnancy forced her to drop out.

On the 19th of June, all was revealed when Batman Returns opened to a spectacular $45m weekend, $5m more than the original. Michael Keaton returned as The Caped Crusader (having split up with the creditably tight-lipped Vicki Vale), while not one but three villains put up their dukes. Danny DeVito played the Penguin as a deformed, subterranean leader of a gang of circus act drop-outs. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman (perhaps her signature role) was transformed from a clumsy secretary into a vengeful whip-wielding dominatrix. Christopher Walken borrowed ‘Doc’ Emmett Brown’s hair to play new villain, Max Shreck.

Despite the enormous opening weekend, things took a downward turn almost immediately. Audiences expecting more of the same were treated to a dark, nose-bitingly violent combination of German Expressionism, kinky S&M and oversized rubber ducks. The box office the following week dropped by 40%, and there was further controversy when McDonalds had to deal with the ire of horrified parents across America, ‘tricked’ by their Batman Returns Happy Meals into taking their kids to watch Burton’s deranged fairy tale, pussy jokes et al.

The backlash (against what is now considered a unique high-water mark in the superhero genre), meant that Batman Returns wound up making $100m less than its predecessor and it placed third for the year, behind Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, a film so determined to give its audience a familiar experience that it simply changed the first film’s screen directions from Int. Kevin’S House – Night to Ext. New York – Night and reshot the entire script. (The box office crown for the year was taken eventually by Disney’s Aladdin.)

Warner Bros. took evasive action, hiring Joel Schumacher to sweeten the mix, which would help to restore Batman’s fortunes in 1995, before everything, literally absolutely everything went wrong in 1997 and the world had to wait for Christopher Nolan to finish attending Ucl, become a director and save the Dark Knight from the resultant ignominy.

Hollywood was given a crash course in the perils of straying too far from a winning formula in the summer of ’92. Sadly, for a while at least, it learned its lesson.

The post Tamed Aliens, Harmonic Nuns and a Leather Catsuit: Strange Tales from 1992’s Summer of Cinema appeared first on HeyUGuys.

As the daughter of music legend Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole was never far from the shadow of his iconic legacy and presence. But, following a string of hits and Grammy Awards, she soon proved to be a musical powerhouse in her own right. As the death of Cole at the age of 65 leaves many in shock, fans are remembering the songbird for her incredible talent on stage. And like her father, she leaves behind a rich body of work, proving that she truly is "Unforgettable." Here's a look back at some of Cole's greatest hits and biggest moments: One

Natalie Cole, who battled drug addiction for most of her adult life, while carving out a Grammy-winning music career, died yesterday (Dec. 31) of congestive heart failure, according to her family. The daughter of singing legend Nat King Cole was 65. Cole is perhaps best known for hits “This Will Be,” her Grammy-winning duet “Unforgettable” with Nat King Cole, and her jazzy, upbeat take on Bruce Springsteen song “Pink Cadillac.” ...Read More

The barkeeps and patrons of Matt’s Saloon in Prescott, Ariz. probably thought it was just another normal Friday night, but Sept. 29, 1989 — 26 years ago today — was not another normal night. What made it a rather unusual evening for the sleepy town was the presence of a rock star in Matt’s Saloon: Bruce Springsteen was playing an unannounced performance at the bar. He rolled into town on a motorcycle with some buddies and wound up in a jam session with the house band. Springsteen, wearing a leather vest and a bandana around his neck, played “I’m On Fire” from his 1984 album “Born In The U.S.A.,” but when the band asked him to play “Pink Cadillac,” the rock star said he couldn’t remember the words to his hit song, recalled Denny Orr, the rhythm guitarist for the house band. Orr also said that things “went nuts” in the bar

Geoffrey Lewis, who frequently appeared in director Clint Eastwood's movies, passed away at the age of 79 last night, due to natural causes. The actor, who was Juliette Lewis' father, passed in Woodland Hills, California, according to a friend of the family. Juliette Lewis posted the following tribute to her father on her Instagram page last night.

Geoffrey Lewis was one of those character actors who was in just about everything, but first and foremost he was a father. Lewis died of natural causes on Tuesday, April 7.

Fans may know him from Clint Eastwood movies like "High Plains Drifter," "Every Which Way But Loose," "Pink Cadillac" and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." He has dozens of TV and film credits on his resume, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role in the TV series "Flo." Actress Juliette Lewis just knows him as Dad, and early Wednesday morning she posted a larger version of the photo shown above on Instagram with a caption that goes straight to the heart:

Actor Geoffrey Lewis, who appeared in several Clint Eastwood movies and made guest appearances on dozens of TV shows in the ’60s through ’80s, died Tuesday in Woodland Hills, Calif. of natural causes, according to a family friend. He was 79. The character actor, who often appeared in Westerns, was the father of actress Juliette Lewis.

Actor Geoffrey Lewis, who appeared in several Clint Eastwood movies and made guest appearances on dozens of TV shows in the ’60s through ’80s, died Tuesday in Woodland Hills, Calif. of natural causes, according to a family friend. He was 79. The character actor, who often appeared in Westerns, was the father of actress Juliette Lewis.

Britain will get personal insight into the life of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, through the largest Elvis retrospective ever mounted in Europe, Elvis at The O2: The Exhibition of His Life. Opening at The O2, London on December 12, the nine month exhibition will showcase over 300 artifacts direct from the Presley family’s treasured Graceland Archives, some of which have never been exhibited outside of Graceland in Memphis. Tickets for the general public go on sale at 9:00 a.m. London time on Friday, November 7.

Elvis at The O2: The Exhibition of His Life chronicles the rise of the rock ‘n’ roll icon and how Elvis impacted popular culture around the world through his music, movies and personal style. From his humble beginnings to his meteoric rise to fame, the exhibition will explore Elvis mania that first

In honor of the 2014 summer movie season, Team HitFix will be delivering a mini-series of articles flashing back to key summers from years past. There will be one each month, diving into the marquee events of the era, their impact on the writer and their implications on today's multiplex culture. We start today with a look back at the summer of 1989. In many ways, 1989 is a fascinating case study for the direction populist filmmaking was already in the process of taking. Never before had so many sequels descended upon the multiplex. Franchises were exploding in the wake of "Star Wars." Twenty-five years later, well, the more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess. As a 7-year-old living in small-town North Carolina, those franchises sucked me in that summer. It was a formidable few months for me, and so when we decided to crank out a Summer Movies Flashback series this year,

When people in the UK think of Bruce Springsteen they come up with little more than ‘Born In The USA’ and dancing with Courtney Cox. Maybe they say that his music is for flag-waving, working-class men or that he is a relic of the 1980′s.

Simply not true.

I want to show why he is more relevant and influential today than he has ever been. By looking at his legendary concerts, the E Street Band and the artists that hold Springsteen as one of their greatest influences, you will learn why a man in his mid 60’s is more relevant and important to modern music than you might think.

8. Great (And Some Not So Great) Artists Cover Him

Plenty of people cover an artist’s big hits but there is a depth to Springsteen’s work that many casual observers not have initially noticed. Many big acts have covered and

Warner Brothers has just dropped word on a two new collections dedicated to the work of American film icon Clint Eastwood. The two collections (one on DVD, the other on Blu-ray) will feature a new documentary by Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel, along with a copy of the new non-directed Eastwood film Trouble with the Curve.

A portion of the news release is below:

Burbank, Calif., February 11, 2013 – Clint Eastwood’s illustrious motion picture career has spanned more than half a century and touched generations of filmgoers. The filmmaker/actor has received five Academy Awards®and his films have grossed more than $2 billion at the domestic box office. This year marks the 38th anniversary of the relationship between Warner Bros., Clint Eastwood and Malpaso Productions, which has culminated in more than 40 films made for the studio. Now, in honor of Warner’s year-long 90th anniversary celebration, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release two new Eastwood Collections,

Plot: A former goth rocker named Cheyenne (Penn) living in Dublin travels to America to kill a former Nazi who humiliated his father decades ago.

Who’S It For? Though inhabitants of the art house might be able to something of it, this movie will be best enjoyed by Penn cynics. If you’ve ever laughed at one of his many unsubtle moments as an actor, here is a full film of Penn falling apart.

Overall

It seems like all Hollywood actors play the clown at least once. Such often undeniably bad decisions come in the shape of integrity-questioning comedies, like when Stallone did Rhinestone or Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, or when Eastwood did Pink Cadillac (in which Eastwood actually

Clint Eastwood is the last, lonely representative of a mythical breed — the badass. Oh sure, there are other tough-guy actors out there (Stallone, Schwarzenegger and other assorted Expendables) but they're all a little too oiled, chiseled and ready for their Men's Health cover shoots. Eastwood is old-school; the kind of gunslinger who survived his shoot-outs not by having bigger biceps, but because he's leaner, meaner and smarter than the bad guy. Men fear his squint, not his heavy artillery or super powers.

But though he's made a permanent cigarillo-chomping, growling, feel-lucky-punk badass crater on all of pop culture (there's no Wolverine or Jason Statham without Clint), Eastwood hasn't always played it hard and flinty. He's been beat up, left for dead, stuck behind a desk and lost and confused on the range. Though he seemed keen to end his acting career as cantankerous and trigger-happy as it began — "Get off my lawn!

When Clint Eastwood made Unforgiven in 1992, he was in a transitional period of his career. Though he was still making pop junk like Pink Cadillac and The Rookie, he had also directed Bird - which started his career as an art-house/Oscar friendly director (though that film was mostly ignored). Eastwood was getting old, and there was sense that he had to stop playing these sorts of role. Unforgiven was his great Western standoff, and he assembled a great cast that included Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, and Richard Harris in a career-defining work. Our review of the Blu-ray of Unforgiven follows after the jump. The film begins with an incident in a whorehouse. Two cowboys cut up a young prostitute, and when sheriff “Little” Bill Daggett (Hackman) offers the ladies less justice than they wanted, the prostitutes band together to offer a bounty. William Munny (Eastwood) is living on a farm with his children,

Aretha Franklin talks about her love for Whitney and how she was her cheerleader amid her goddaughter's struggles. The Queen of Soul was godmother to the Queen of Pop. Aretha Franklin, 69, reflects on Whitney Houston's troubled life and her attempt to make a comeback. "We were all aware of her challenges," Aretha told People. "And I was always rooting for her." And the "Pink Cadillac" songstress was hopeful that Whitney was on her way out of her problems. "Seeing previews for the new Sparkle movie I thought, boy she looks good, healthy, fresh and has that twinkle in her eyes!" she said. Despite Whitney's hardships, Aretha said she'll remember the pop icon as someone who possessed "the heart of a champion." More Whitney Houston News: Bobby Brown Will Attend Whitney Houston’s Funeral Whitney Houston’s Death Certificate Officially Filed ‘Bodyguard’ Co-Star Kevin Costner To Speak At Whitney Houston

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